A New Life

Chapter 5

"I had another nightmare." Iruka said as he took a seat across from Ibiki.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't look up from his paperwork. It was surprising how well Iruka could read Ibiki's expressions now. He supposed weekly appointments with Torture and Interrogation would do that, though he'd never been tortured and only nominally interrogated. In a way it was almost comforting being here. If he were to do anything, they would stop him. But so far all of their probes into his brain had found nothing. The only thing they had to go on were his nightmares.

"It felt like a memory instead of a dream though. I saw Orochimaru and I was in a room, chained down to a bed of some kind, and I saw him killing women and removing their organs. In the dream, they were strapped to tables like I was, but Orochimaru was just killing them."

"That all?"

He nodded and then realized Ibiki wasn't looking at him. He probably saw it anyways but Iruka felt the need to verbally respond. "Yeah."

"Any new pain? Strange side-effects?"

He hesitated. Ibiki looked up at him. He didn't raise an eyebrow, didn't frown more than his usual scowl, just looked. It was enough.

"I was nauseous earlier. I think I had some bad fish."

Ibiki stared at him for a moment and then nodded. He turned back to his paperwork and scribbled something. "Next week."

"Of course." He bowed slightly as he stood. It was strange how talking with Ibiki every week made him feel better, but it did. Each time he came here and was given the all-clear he felt a bit more normal, a bit more like his old self.